State, Bay Area, ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions

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SAN MATEO, CA - MAY 18: Bay Home and Linens owner Lina Yea works inside her store in downtown San Mateo, Calif., on Monday May 18, 2020. YeaÕs store is one of many businesses that reopened Monday as part of Phase 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom's reopening guidance. (Dai Sugano/ Bay Area News Group)

SAN MATEO, CA - MAY 18: An ÒopenÓ sign is seen on Monday, May 18, 2020, at Bay Home and Linens in downtown San Mateo, Calif. This store is one of many businesses that reopened Monday as part of Phase 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom's reopening guidance. (Dai Sugano/ Bay Area News Group)

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SAN MATEO, CA - MAY 18: Bay Home and Linens owner Lina Yea works inside her store in downtown San Mateo, Calif., on Monday May 18, 2020. YeaÕs store is one of many businesses that reopened Monday as part of Phase 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom's reopening guidance. (Dai Sugano/ Bay Area News Group)

SAN MATEO, CA - MAY 18: Pedestrians are seen in downtown San Mateo, Calif., on May 18, 2020. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)

BURLINGAME - MAY 18: Owner John Kevranian sends photos of graduation balloons to a customer at Nuts for Candy & Toys in Burlingame, Calif., on Monday, May 18, 2020. Some businesses were allowed to open today as part of Phase 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom's re-opening plan. (Randy Vazquez / Bay Area News Group)

BURLINGAME - MAY 18: Some of the bagged orders that will be picked up at Nuts for Candy & Toys in Burlingame, Calif., on Monday, May 18, 2020. Some businesses were allowed to open today as part of Phase 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom's re-opening plan. (Randy Vazquez / Bay Area News Group)

BURLINGAME - MAY 18: Owner John Kevranian sorts through boxes of puzzles at Nuts for Candy & Toys in Burlingame, Calif., on Monday, May 18, 2020. Some businesses were allowed to open today as part of Phase 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom's re-opening plan. (Randy Vazquez / Bay Area News Group)

BURLINGAME - MAY 18: Owner John Kevranian, right, after handing an order to Anh Diep, left, at Nuts for Candy & Toys in Burlingame, Calif., on Monday, May 18, 2020. Some businesses were allowed to open today as part of Phase 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom's re-opening plan. (Randy Vazquez / Bay Area News Group)

BURLINGAME - MAY 18: Owner John Kevranian, left, receives money from customer Anne Crouch, right, who purchased some candy corn at Nuts for Candy & Toys in Burlingame, Calif., on Monday, May 18, 2020. Some businesses were allowed to open today as part of Phase 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom's re-opening plan. (Randy Vazquez / Bay Area News Group)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - MAY 18: David Mulvehill, left, a partner at O'Flaherty's Irish Pub, helps Miguel Gonzalez, a general manager at San Pedro Square Market, hang up a sign on the patio in San Jose, Calif., on Monday, May 18, 2020. They opened 10 of the 15 restaurants at San Pedro Square Market for online ordering, pickup only. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - MAY 18: A San Pedro Square Market manager brings a pizza order to a customer on the patio in San Jose, Calif., on Monday, May 18, 2020. They opened 10 of the 15 restaurants at San Pedro Square Market for online ordering, pickup only. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - MAY 18: San Pedro Square Market opened 10 of the 15 restaurants for online ordering and pickup on the patio in San Jose, Calif., on Monday, May 18, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- MAY 18: Stanley "Skip" Pas, owner of West Coast Leather, in San Francisco's Union Square, opens up his shop on Monday, May 18, 2020, for the first time since the coronavirus shutdown began. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group

SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- MAY 18: Stanley "Skip" Pas (right), owner of West Coast Leather, in San Francisco's Union Square, talks with a vendor after opening up his shop on Monday, May 18, 2020, for the first time since the coronavirus shutdown began. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- MAY 18: Stanley "Skip" Pas, owner of West Coast Leather, in San Francisco's Union Square, opens up his shop on Monday, May 18, 2020, for the first time since the coronavirus shutdown began. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Bay Area officials announced sweeping changes Monday in their stay-home and shelter-in-place orders to slow the spread of COVID-19. Here are the highlights.

New state criteria ease restrictions on urban counties

The state lowered the bar for allowing counties to relax restrictions and let more nonessential businesses, such as retail shops, reopen. The criteria two weeks ago called for no deaths and no more than one positive case per 10,000 people in the last 14 days, a standard that urban counties couldn’t meet.

That was revised Monday to less than 25 cases per 100,000 in the last 14 days, or less than 8% testing positive over the last 7 days, with hospitalizations rising less than 5% on a 7-day average, or no more than 20 on any single day over the last 14 days. That more than doubles the counties able to qualify to 53 out of 58.

State parks begin to reopen

Twenty-seven state parks and beaches in Santa Cruz, San Benito, Sonoma, Riverside and Orange counties, along with the Lake Tahoe Area, began partially reopening their parking lots over the weekend, with half the parking stalls blocked off to reduce crowding.

Pro sports could return in June

Newsom said live professional sports could potentially resume in June, with restrictions to protect athletes and support staff, starting with not having spectators. It’s not clear what sports leagues will be ready to resume that soon, and stricter county rules in the Bay Area remain in place.

Church, haircuts coming back soon

Newsom said the state will provide guidance for allowing worshipers to return to the pews at houses of worship and for barbers and hair stylists to give Californians a much-needed trim. The governor didn’t offer details but said “we’re within a window of a few weeks.”

Bay Area counties relax rules, too

The Bay Area has maintained stricter shelter-in-place rules since even before Newsom’s stay-home order, easing some restrictions this month like allowing construction and other outdoor businesses to resume, while imposing new restrictions such as mask mandates.

But Monday, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and San Francisco counties issued a revised order that lets shops offer storefront pick-up, and manufacturing, warehousing, and logistical operations that support retail to resume. Also Monday, Santa Clara joined those others in allowing car parades.

John Woolfolk is a reporter for the Bay Area News Group, based at The Mercury News. A native of New Orleans, he grew up near San Jose. He is a graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Journalism and has been a journalist since 1990, covering cities, counties, law enforcement, courts and other general news. He also has worked as an editor since 2013.

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